I know I’m just about the last person in the world to get into the adult coloring crazy. It’s not that I have anything against coloring. It’s just that I have so many other ways that I want to spend my free time and other things that relax me (like wine). But when I saw today that Affiliate Summit was giving away a free affiliate coloring book, I thought it was time to give it a try.

Getting the coloring pages was the easy part. I just clicked through to the Affiliate Summit Coloring Book Slideshare and downloaded it. I paged through different things like “affiliate,” “commission,” and “disclosure.” (I bet you thought I would pick that one given how much I harp about FTC disclosures!)

I ended up with “Super Affiliate”–a term I have never once called myself because I’m not even sure what it means. But I thought it might be inspirational to me.

That’s where things got tricky. I had no idea what to color it with. We are remodeling our basement, so we threw out all of the kids’ old stuff. I texted my daughter in high school to see if she had any colored pencils at home and she replied they were in a Skittles box. Of course, because that’s totally normal.

I found the Skittles box and noticed that the pencils were all in pretty bad shape–none were sharpened. I figured I would try the other daughter’s desk. I didn’t find any pencils, but I did find a sharpener. Ironically, it was a “Philadelphia Love” sharpener that I picked up for her at Affiliate Summit East one year.

Armed with my coloring page, pencils, a sharpener, and some random markers, I headed to the kitchen table. Here are just a few of the things that went through my mind while I was sitting there:

I need sharp pencils! Let’s get these things sharpened up. Why are they so hard to sharpen? These pencils are crap. But they are Crayola! Isn’t that supposed to be good? Maybe it is the sharpener. My kids deserve better pencils than this. How do they even use them??

Is this supposed to be relaxing? What should I think about? Oh! I know…a blog post. I’ll think about writing a blog post about coloring.

When did my kids stop coloring? They used to color a LOT. I think I kind of liked it.

This isn’t so bad. I kind of like it. I can see how it would be relaxing. As long as it doesn’t take me too long. I don’t want this to take too long.

These pencils are total crap. I’m only using like 5 colors because I don’t have time to figure out how to sharpen any more of them. And why is this one sharpened on both ends??

I think my hand is cramping.

It’s a good thing this isn’t a coloring contest. I would totally lose. Well, I might not lose. But Jen Goode would win. Or Shannon Weidemann. They are both really good at coloring on Instagram.

I’m making such a mess with these pencil shavings. I should have done it over the trashcan.

I’m such a boring colorer. (is that a word?) Look at me just coloring in the lines. Dang it! I got outside the lines!! Well, I’m not starting over now.

Look at me getting fancy! I pushed hard with the purple to make it dark and then did it really lightly to make lavender. I’m totally getting the hang of this coloring thing.

What am I going to do with this when it is done? Hang it on the refrigerator? Maybe I’ll Instagram it….yeah. I’ll Instagram it.

Wow! Taking a break from my computer has been nice. But my hand is cramping again. Like “writing thank you cards” cramping. I need to use a pen more often.

Whew! Done. That took longer than I thought it would. I wonder how many messages are in my Inbox now?

So as you can see, the coloring DID give me a little bit of time to think. And get away from the computer. And realize that my kids’ pencils are crappy. Will I color again? Not until I get them some better pencils. Am I glad I did it? Absolutely. A few minutes of stirring up creativity is necessary when you sit at a keyboard all day.

If you are like me, you probably spent the last 3 months in a blur of Halloween costumes, Black Friday promotions, and too many cookies. January seemed so far away. The good news is that you made it through Q4. The bad news is that we are already almost a week into January and you are probably not yet ready for Affiliate Summit.

Here are some last minute ideas to help you get ready if you are planning on attending. Even if you are not attending, some of these tips will come in handy.

1. Check your stock of business cards. Worst-case scenario you can use Staples Copy & Print service to get some made same day. They don’t have to be fancy, but you need to have business cards. I am always amazed at the people who come without business cards and then try to write their info on someone else’s card or use plain paper.

2. Binge watch “Making a Murderer” on Netflix. If you don’t have Netflix, at least check out some of the bazillion articles written about the show. It’s the hot topic right now. People will be talking about it in casual conversations when they don’t have anything else to talk about. You want to at least be able to be a part of the arguments. [Read more…]

The FTC announced today that the United States District Court for the District of Arizona granted a temporary restraining order against Vemma for allegedly operating an unlawful pyramid scheme. Those of us in the affiliate marketing industry were understandably concerned given that Vemma announced in 2014 that it was moving from a multilevel marketing (MLM) business model to an affiliate marketing business model.

In fact, Vemma launched an aggressive rebranding of sorts to associate themselves with affiliate marketing, including attending Affiliate Summit and even joining the Performance Marketing Association.

However, what Vemma did was mainly a change in terminology and not in actual business practices. The changes that they made didn’t take them out of the MLM business. They wanted to be “less like Amway and more like Amazon.” And yet the focus of the business was still on recruiting new sellers, not on selling the product.

The Difference Between Vemma and Performance Based Marketing

When we talk about “affiliate marketing” at Affiliate Summit or the PMA or ABestWeb, we are talking about performance based marketing. I, as an affiliate, put up a link on my blog or Facebook page or Twitter. I only get paid if someone buys something through that link. I don’t buy anything myself to join the program. I don’t recruit other people to sell anything. It’s a simple referral transaction in which I am paid for referring a product.

Conversely, the Vemma business model first required “affiliates” to buy an “affiliate pack” at around $500. They were then told to sign up for an “auto-delivery” every month of around $150 to ensure that they always met their monthly minimum of sales. After that, the “affiliates” would then start recruiting other people to duplicate the exact same system. “Affiliates” were incentivized with bonuses to bring other people in under them as quickly as possible and were encouraged to give out free samples to get people to sign up under them rather than buy the products from them.

Vemma didn’t care if any products actually got sold and “affiliates” didn’t make money based on product sales. They made money based on 1) buying products themselves whether they wanted them or not, and 2) convincing other people to sign up under them and also buy products whether they wanted them or not. Internal documents showed that the majority of “affiliates” were actually losing money based on what they were investing each month compared to what they were making in compensation for sales.

Vemma Took Advantage of “Affiliate Marketing”

In my opinion, Vemma understood that it was losing out on potential customers by being dubbed an “MLM” and decided that because Affiliate Marketing is a growing, lucrative business, they should change what they call their business model. They ingratiated themselves into the affiliate industry in attempt to see how they could take all of the GREAT things about what we do (unlimited earning potential, growing number of participants, increasing reputation among big brands, etc) and twist it around for their own needs.

This whole situation is unfortunate in many ways. First, a lot of people invested a lot of money in the hopes of living “the dream” of this great Vemma business. Second, once again affiliate marketing is getting a bad rap for something that isn’t really even affiliate marketing. And third, Vemma missed an opportunity to run a true affiliate program that would have allowed people to make honest money introducing their product to the public. If they truly believed that they had a great product that people would want to buy, they wouldn’t need to run their business the way that they did to make it profitable.

Which Companies Are Next?

Reading the documents in this case, I have to wonder who the FTC might target next. While companies like Tupperware and Mary Kay have been around for a long time and have survived because of the way that they are structured to encourage product sales, what will become of all of the newer companies selling essential oils, mascara, and diet shakes? What about affiliate marketing “gurus” who are selling their 10 step plans that guarantee you will earn passive income by investing in their courses? Hopefully we can continue to educate the public about how to do affiliate marketing the right way and continue to distance ourselves from the companies and practices that are deceptive to the public and focused more on people at the top making money than people at the bottom being treated fairly.

I just heard that Affiliate Summit has lowered the price of their VIP passes for Affiliate Summit West by $300 through October 23. I didn’t even believe it until I went to the site myself and checked out all of the pass types and read the fine print. You can now get a VIP pass for $579 if you get the newly discounted Early Bird price.

I have only ever attended one Affiliate Summit where I didn’t have a VIP pass–my first. And it was essentially because I didn’t know any better and the conference was so different back then. Yes, I often get a free pass for being a speaker or being on the Advisory Board. But even when I take employees with me, I always buy them the VIP pass. Why?

First: To me, some of the best networking opportunities take place over the casual meals, drinks, and snack breaks. You will meet a certain number of people in the Exhibit Hall and Meet Market. You’ll exchange business cards and maybe follow up later. But it’s in those more casual, laid-back meals that you really talk to people and understand their business and get to know each other. The VIP pass includes the Sunday Snack Break (which people never take advantage of enough but should!), plus breakfast and lunch on Monday and Tuesday.

Second: I want to be able to attend any sessions that look good to me and take advantage of the different one-on-one and small group opportunities that are usually available only for VIP pass holders. You never know from one conference to the next if these opportunities will be the ones where you learn the most the fastest, but they usually are. You will get access to every single session plus the videos afterward.

Third: If you are a first time attendee, the Newcomer Program is like getting asked to the Homecoming Dance. It’s your chance to be paired up with someone who can introduce you to other people and help you learn the ropes so that you will make the most of the conference. I hear so many people say that the conference is “overwhelming,” and it is. But if you don’t take advantage of the Newcomer Program, you are missing out on your best chance to not only meet an industry veteran but have someone give you all of the small details you need to know both before and during the conference.

I don’t think I have ever written a blog post so blatantly “advertising” Affiliate Summit before, but I couldn’t help it when I saw this price break. I don’t know if they will ever do this again (I’m sure it depends how it works out this time), so I’m just going to tell you this:

If you have always wanted to attend Affiliate Summit and have a way of getting there in January in Las Vegas, this is the pass you need to get and the time that you need to get it.

If you do a search on my blog, you will see me talking about Affiliate Summit ALL THE TIME. What I learned, what I taught others, what I hope to get out of the next one, who I met, how my business changed. Even when I’m not “selling it,” I’m selling it. I feel strongly in always attending myself and recommending it to new people.

So there it is…this crazy price break. Head over to the Affiliate Summit site and see if it’s something you want to do in January. And if you end up deciding to go, let me know and I will see you there!

I’m just now getting around to writing my wrap-up from Affiliate Summit West because so many exciting things happened there and shortly after! I went into the conference with the goal of treating it like it was my first time, and in many ways I achieved that. I attended sessions, made new friends, and even checked out the entire Exhibit Hall and Meet Market.

Although there were a lot of highlights for me, here are 8 things that I was glad that I didn’t miss but some of you might have.

Affiliate Karaoke: Although it was not an official even this time (anyone want to be a sponsor in New York??), Nathan Smith found us an amazing little dive bar to get cheap drinks, dance, and sing karaoke. We had a fun group of bloggers, merchants, and OPMs. Some of us knew we were looking for it in advance and others just saw us talking about it on Twitter. It pays to follow conference hashtags on Twitter if you are looking for something fun to do!

My session with Eric and Todd: I was lucky enough to give a presentation with Eric Nagel and Todd Farmer about our site WineClubGroup.com. We didn’t hold anything back. We showed our analytics, our revenue, how we find merchants, and everything that has made the site successful. I’m disappointed that more bloggers didn’t show up because we really did share a lot of our tips and tricks. You can still download our Resource Guide if you missed it.

Meeting Kozzi in the Meet Market: I promised myself that I was going to make a real effort to visit all of the Exhibits this time, and I did. Finding friends and current partners is nice, but finding NEW partners is a real bonus. If you didn’t make it to the back of the Meet Market to talk to Kozzi, you missed out. They are a stock photo provider with AMAZING deals for both people buying stock photos and affiliates who want to promote the program. If you have any interest in stock photos at all, you should check out the Kozzi Affiliate program.

Affiliate Legal Issues Session: As an affiliate and a lawyer, this session was totally up my alley. But even if you are not a lawyer, you need to understand things like nexus legislation and FTC disclosure requirements. Sam Engel, Gary Kibel, Carolyn Kmet, and Gerri-Lynn Becker did a great job of giving information about various legal issues that can threaten your business as an affiliate or a merchant. If you are not paying attention to these, you may find yourself on the wrong side of a lawsuit.

Newcomer Program: The Affiliate Summit Newcomer Program “helps connect first time attendees with Affiliate Summit veterans.” I was paired up with the amazing Mindy Marzec of Budget Fairy Tale. Not only did I make a new friend, but it was nice to be a part of something that would help someone else experience Affiliate Summit fully. I used to do it all the time but had stopped because I didn’t think I had time anymore. Remembering back to my first time at Affiliate Summit, I realized that it doesn’t take much to help put someone at ease. Whether you are a veteran or a newcomer, you should be taking advantage of this program if possible. (and thanks to Mindy for some of the photos above!)

PMA CEO & Founder Event: The Performance Marketing Association put on a terrific cocktail party where members and others interested in joining could chat about industry issues and the part that the PMA is playing. It was great seeing so much support for the organization and getting a chance to share the wonderful things that the organization has done this year. If you are reading this and are not a member, you need to find out how to become one.

ASW Speaker Event: Being a speaker has its perks, besides the free pass. This year we were invited to a networking event on the High Roller, which is like a great big enclosed Ferris Wheel. I was incredibly nervous about getting on it and my friends did their best to make me think we were going to fall to our deaths (or at least into the safety net below it). Despite that, it was a nice opportunity to chat with other speakers before the conference started and take in AMAZING views of Las Vegas. Thanks to Shawn and Missy for treating their speakers!

Pinnacle Awards: I was not really looking forward to the Pinnacle Awards because I had become a perennial loser and it is kind of embarrassing to sit there with my friends and lose every year. But it IS an honor to be a finalist even if you don’t win. I was absolutely floored when I found out that I won Affiliate of the Year! It was a moment that I will never forget. And I was incredibly excited for fellow winners Joe Sousa, Brian Littleton, FMTC, and Acceleration Partners.

There’s a lot of other stuff that happened that was important to me but wouldn’t be important to you (including quality time with some of the people that I treasure most in this world–you know who you are!). I’ll spare you the personal details.

Did you attend any of these events? Was there something you did that *I* missed that I need to do next time?